Leah was caught up to halfway by Celes and Vina.
It wasn’t their fault for catching up so quickly; the truth was, Saintess was just walking too slowly.
With the heavy burden on her chest, she was never fast at running, and every now and then, she would stop to sniff the air.
On top of that, Celes was wearing armor, her metal boots clacking on the ground with a steady rhythm.
If she got even a little closer, she’d be discovered immediately.
“I only followed out because I saw Ayla leave.”
After being caught by her companions, Leah explained, “It’s so late, I was worried about her being outside…”
“Alright, alright, no need to say anything more.”
Vina waved her little hand.
“Celes said the exact same thing earlier.”
You two have the same excuse—what more is there to say?
Just trusting you is enough.
Whether the little witch believed it or not, Celes did, but she cared more about something else: “How did you know where Ayla went?”
“Well, that’s because,” Leah patted her big mochi, “I told you before, I personally guided her through the Initiation Ceremony, so she carries a purer Light Aura. As long as I follow that aura, I can find her. After all, I performed her Initiation Ceremony. That’s why I can always find her, since I was the one who did her Initiation Ceremony.”
“Alright, alright, got it,” Vina said, “You don’t have to repeat ‘Initiation Ceremony’ so many times, or I’ll start to think that word means something else. Anyway, the point is, she’s in there, right?”
The three girls all looked ahead at the ruined temple not far away.
Under the darkness of night, it seemed to be hiding some unspeakable secret.
“Let’s go, let’s go,” Vina took the lead, “Let’s see which wild woman little Ayla is meeting up with!”
***
In the Netherworld Rift, at the Temple of Yore, once the priestesses confirmed the girls’ destination—namely, the temple’s projection in the real world—their moods were like a rollercoaster, shooting up and then plummeting down again.
“Why are they going there?”
Barbed Priest was sweating buckets.
“I don’t know, I’m following the god’s gaze… Wait, why is the pink-haired one there too? And she’s been there for a while!”
Just then, Ayla heard a girlish cry from nearby: “Ayla, we’re here to catch you in the act! Eh? Why is it just you? Where’s Zero, is she hiding?”
What a mess.
Ayla rolled her eyes and canceled her Netherworld Vision, letting the real scene return before her.
Inside the ruined temple, there was almost nothing—just some weeds and dried seaweed.
As for the entrance, three girls stood at the doorway.
Excited Vina, Celes who calmed down when she saw only one person inside, and Leah, who was puffing out her cheeks in anger.
Counting Zero in her Undead form, the best five people were all here.
Ayla had no idea why Vina was so excited, nor why Leah was angry, but she appreciated Celes’ calmness.
Staying calm was the right move! She had an idea!
“You all came at the perfect time. Actually, I’ve discovered the key issue here, and the issue’s key.”
Her mysterious words immediately drew the girls’ attention.
“What key issue?”
“The issue is this place.”
Ayla pointed beneath her feet.
“You should remember, Celes said a few days ago that the Sirens have a legend about a temple that doesn’t exist in the real world. That’s the guarantee for their rituals. We foiled the Pearl Oyster’s plot, but as long as the temple exists, their backup remains. They can still summon the Evil God to destroy Harbor City.”
“For real? Even after the Pearl Oyster’s plot was ruined, they can still destroy Harbor City?”
Vina clicked her tongue in amazement.
“If we hadn’t stopped the Pearl Oyster, wouldn’t that mean they could destroy the world?”
Leah also snorted, “Yeah, you’re making it sound like without us, the world would be in danger. Are you trying to hide something, saying stuff like this to distract us?”
Only Celes thought of something, recalling the words of her respected mentor, the Great Hero Rolls, and broke into a cold sweat.
She quickly spoke up:
“Alright, let’s not argue. Let’s hear Ayla out—where is the temple?”
Thank goodness, thought Demon King, at least there’s a real Hero in the Hero Squad.
“Right here,” she said, “This place looks empty, but in another plane—namely, the Necroplane—it’s actually the most important temple for the Sirens. They’ve hidden it here!”
“Necroplane?”
The girls weren’t entirely clueless about the term.
They’d heard of evil necromancy, and the power to control the dead came from the Necroplane.
But here’s the problem: as the righteous Hero Squad, none of them knew how to use it.
“We have to stop it,” Celes said urgently.
“Is there any way?”
“There is.”
To everyone’s surprise, Ayla nodded easily.
Under the girls’ gazes—and the tense eavesdropping of the two God-bestowed Priests in the Temple of Yore—the pink-haired thunder beauty said lightly:
“You all know that I was once forced by the Demon King to learn many evil, dark spells. Among them, there’s one with tremendous power. As long as you guard me and let me finish the chant, I can destroy this place and its Necroplane reflection together!”
Hearing this, the two God-bestowed Priests inside the Temple of Yore nearly exploded.
How dare you!
The other priests, who couldn’t see the altar’s vision or hear the voices clearly, only saw the two priests’ fins bristling and gills flaring, wondering what made them so angry.
“Excuse me—”
“Excuse nothing! That pink-haired one is going to destroy the temple!”
Fish Priest shrieked.
“All God-bestowed Priests, listen up! Attack at once! Don’t let her finish the chant!”
***
Back in the ruined temple in the real world, Celes was still about to ask for details—like how long the chant would take, whether any rituals were needed, and how far the others should stand to avoid getting caught in the blast.
But before she could ask, she felt a strange stickiness around her, as if another plane was being grafted onto reality.
This feeling… it’s exactly like at the Workshop entrance that day!
“Enemy attack incoming!”
She drew her Knight Longsword in a flash and called out to the others, “Ayla, Vina, Leah, be careful!”
Ripples appeared in the air, and puddles formed on the ground out of nowhere.
More and more of them, spreading wider and wider, as if something was about to surge forth.
Celes’ body tensed even more.
Last time, things weren’t nearly this dramatic—this meant the enemies coming now were stronger, and there were more of them.
Not far from the temple entrance, Zero in her Undead form hid in the shadows.
Seeing her companions had all arrived and that all six God-bestowed Priests of the Sirens were launching an assault on reality, she grew tense as well.
She should go help too.
But just then, Zero saw Ayla turn to look at her and wink, giving her a playful glance.
Ayla never had any Space-Shattering Chant to destroy the area.
All she had was a little Undead who was very good at ambushes.